You're right, "Cheney" birds do occur in Wyoming.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Nancy Downing" <nancydowning at comcast.net>
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 9:33 PM
Subject: Jackson Hole Trip


> Dear Tweeters,
> I just returned from a two week trip to Jackson Hole, WY. Even though
> the weather did not cooperate, I was able to see quite a lot of birds,
> mammals and wildflowers. The first treat came at a rest area in Montana
> called the Quartz rest area. It was teeming with Colombian ground
> squirrels. At first, I thought they were prairie dogs but a sign set me
> straight. They sit up on their haunches with their feet curled under
> their chin--very cute! I later saw them in Jackson by first hearing
> their call. There, they are called Uinta Ground Squirrels. I stayed at a
> condo in Jackson near the ski area.On my morning walks in the
> neighborhood(when I wasn't snowed, hailed or rained upon) , I saw, in
> addition to the Black-billed Magpies, American Robins and Crow's,
> Black-capped Chickadees, Song sparrows, House Wrens, White-crowned
> Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Yellow- Rumped Warblers(Audubon), Yellow
> Warbler's, Wilson's Warblers, and Pine Siskin's, several first's for me.
> These were a Red- Naped Sapsucker, Calliope Hummingbird (he was kind
> enough to sit in a low bush and spread out his rosy gorget for me),
> flocks of Chipping Sparrows and a Mourning Dove. At the Visitor Center
> for the Elk Refuge, I saw a pair of Cinnamon Teals, Mallards, American
> Coots, many Canada Geese, Red-winged Blackbirds and another first,
> Yellow-headed Blackbird's.
> Driving past the Elk Refuge, I saw perched on the fence, a Red-tailed
> Hawk, a Swainson's hawk and another first, a Mountain Bluebird. Raven's
> were soaring at the top of the hills on the other side of the road.
> Over the weekend, we went to Salt Lake City and visited the Red Butte
> Garden and Antelope Island. I saw another first at the Garden, a Western
> Scrub Jay, along with a Black-headed Grosbeak and a Downy Woodpecker.
> Antelope Island is a wonderful place both for birds and animals.
> We had only a couple of hours but I was able to see three first's - a
> Chukar(he sat perched on a rock long enough for us to stop the car, get
> out and feast our eyes on him before he jumped down into the ground
> cover) a group of American Avocet's(total 20), and a Western Meadowlark
> who very obligingly landed on a picnic shelter right in front of us and
> began to sing.. There were also many California Seagulls all over the
> island and Brewer's Blackbirds on the beach. It seemed strange to find
> these blackbirds at the beach as I am accustomed to seeing them at
> K-Mart's parking lot.
> When we returned to Jackson, we went to Teton Park via the Moose-Wilson
> Road. Along the road , we saw 2 young moose, a group of Pronghorn
> Antelopes and 8 Elk. On the String Lake trail, I saw a Ruby-Crowned
> Kinglet flashing his red cap, a female Common Merganser diving under
> the logs on the lake, a Great Blue Heron fishing from the logs and a
> busy Brown Creeper. There were also a large number of Audubon
> warbler's. A young Mule Deer crossed the lake at the bridge and almost
> walked right up to me before he saw me. On the trail we saw a
> Yellow-bellied marmot. That was a first for me me and I was surprised at
> the size of him. I saw another bird high in a tree that I was unable to
> identify. It seemed to have a small head and beak with black on the top,
> a white or light gray breast with pale pink around the edges. On the
> Moose Wilson Road going back, we were lucky enough to see another
> fabulous first, a Great Horned Owl, perched in a cottonwood tree and a
> little later, a nest in a fir tree with two fledglings in it. They are
> so ugly, they are cute! We also saw two Sandhill Cranes feeding along a
> creek.
> When we left Jackson, we drove through the park again on the main
> highway. On the way, we stopped at the airport. The only bird I saw was
> very large, white and blue, and labeled the United States of America . I
> think it was a Cheney bird! When we entered the park, it was snowing and
> the temperature was anywhere from 39 to 29 degrees. The trees in the
> park looked frosted and it was a very pretty drive. At Oxbow Bend, we
> saw a large group of American White Pelican's on an island . They looked
> like snow. We saw several herds of bison and one walked down the middle
> of the highway looking in the cars. Other bird's seen but not
> previously mentioned were Barn swallow's, Tree Swallows, Barrow's Golden
> eye, Double-Crested Cormorant, Bald Eagle, American Dipper, and a
> Trumpeter Swan and a California Quail. All in all, it was a great trip.
> Nancy Downing
> Bellingham, WA
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